Wire harnesses, such as are employed, for example, in automobiles or airplanes, consist of a plurality of wires whose wire-ends are inserted into connector housings. For this purpose, the wire-ends, which have been stripped of insulation and fitted with contact parts, are inserted into the chambers of the connector housing. The wire-ends, and in some insertion methods also the contact parts, are usually held and moved with pneumatically actuated grippers. This principle is also similarly employed for the mechanical end-fitting or end-processing of individual wires.
Corresponding insertion methods and robots are known from, for example, patent applications EP0708508-A1 and EP0440955-A1. Patent application EP0708508-A1 describes an insertion unit that is pneumatically operated. Patent application EP0440955-A1 relates to an industrial robot for the automatic assembly of electric conductors with contact parts in connector housings.
Particularly in the case of small connector housings which have small grid-pitches, the known solutions encounter limitations because pneumatic grippers are employed which, on account of their construction, can be either closed or open. In the open state, these pneumatic grippers occupy a relatively large amount of space, and, for example, damage to, or kinking of, adjacent wires can occur.
There is a need to provide an improved wire gripper for manipulating wires. Furthermore, its dimensions must be small, so that, for example, connector housings can be loaded with closely adjacent wire-ends without the occurrence of damage or reciprocal impairment.